


Meta: The Appeal of Jackson's Vulnerability

by elizabeth_rice



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon - TV, Challenge Response, Community: kink_bingo, Kink Bingo 2013, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-02
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-28 06:19:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/988717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabeth_rice/pseuds/elizabeth_rice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A meta essay where I talk about the homoerotic subtext of Jackson Whittemore's interaction with Derek Hale and Chris Argent and the appeal of Jackson's vulnerability (for square: tears).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meta: The Appeal of Jackson's Vulnerability

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the link to [my KB card](http://fanfic-by-lizzy.dreamwidth.org/9397.html).

When I looked at this square on my card, I immediately thought of Jackson Whittmore. My only problem was figuring out how to create a fill. I couldn't think of a single scenario for a fanfic. I had thoughts of aftercare or maybe catharsis, which was encouraged when I asked for help in kb_cafe, but I still had no idea how to incorporate that in a fanfic. So I decided to write a meta post instead.

When Jackson Whittmore was introduced in season 1, we met the successful jock, the captain of the lacrosse team whose girlfriend was the most popular sophomore, Lydia Martin. We see Jackson has the perfect looks, perfect girl, perfect everything. The next thing we learn about Jackson is his jealousy and competitiveness. The competitiveness is natural; one doesn't become the captain of a sports team if they are laidback. But why would a guy who has everything feel jealousy?

So turns out that Jackson's drive to be the best, strongest, fastest is both his strength and his weakness. Despite having it all, Jackson isn't happy or content; he wants more. When he sees the change in Scott McCall, he assumes it's performance-enhancement drugs and wants them too. But when he learns about werewolves, Jackson sees them as the ideal or perfect beings. The enhanced strength, speed, agility and the supernatural healing. Jackson sees an opportunity to achieve true perfection. But for the first time in his life Jackson isn't going to get what he wants most so easily. This is when he begins to unravel.

Seeing this vulnerability in Jackson made him very appealing to me. Mostly because Colton Haynes, the actor who plays the character, plays a vulnerable teenager so damn well though he is an adult. The other thing I love about Jackson is the disparity in his interaction with his peers, namely Scott and Stiles, and his interaction with older men like Derek and Chris. Jackson plays the tough jock and bully with Scott and Stiles, while he is intimidated by powerful men like Derek and Chris and has cried in front of both on more than one occasion.

I have a soft spot for the older man/younger man pairing and _Teen Wolf_ offers plenty of them. Two of my favourite Jackson scenes are:  
(1) The scene where Derek pays him a little visit in the locker room. Watching Derek, a werewolf with the appearance of a 20-something, use his burly body to intimidate Jackson, a 16-year-old, was hot. I knew that Tyler Hoechlin, who plays Derek, and Colton Haynes are best friends. And I laughed when I watched the DVD commentary of the same episode and learnt that this was Hoechlin's favourite scene too. The idea of an actor who is approximately playing his own age loves the scene where he has to intimidate his best friend who is playing the role of a teenager made me love this pairing even more.

(2) The scene where Chris flashes a shark-like grin at Jackson in the abandoned lot. It doesn't stop there either. I like the way Chris moves in close to Jackson, how he puts a hand on Jackson's shoulder like he is a concerned adult, when we know that the only reason Chris is talking to Jackson is because Chris thinks Jackson knows who the alpha is.

The homoerotic subtext of their interactions is unmistakable. Stiles' line in the above scene where he says that he can't leave a pretty boy like Jackson all alone draws our attention to this subtext. Both Derek and Chris use their height, physical strength, experience and knowledge as older men to intimidate this teenager.

But when Jackson cries in front of Derek and Chris, they soften towards him. Derek understands the need to become so strong that nothing and no one can hurt you ever again. Chris wants to preserve Jackson's humanity and maybe even his innocence. When Chris tells Stiles how he was forced to kill his best friend after he'd turned, sometimes we forget that Jackson was there too. Chris sees Jackson's desire, probably understands the draw, but wants to keep Jackson out of this supernatural world for his own good. Not that Jackson listens.

This is where I'll stop, though we get some excellent crying scenes with Jackson (including the scenes where he is the cause of Lydia's tears) in season 2. My goal was to focus on the homoerotic subtext of Jackson's interactions with Derek Hale and Chris Argent and how Jackson's vulnerability makes him the perfect fit for this square/kink.


End file.
